The Turnbo Manuscripts

by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925

When Joe Magness located in what is now Cedar Creek Township, Marion
County, Ark., Sam Magness, a son of Joes, was nine years old. Joe
Magness lived in the river bottom known now as the Ross Cantrel farm. When
Mr. Magness came to this bottom and after living here awhile the dogs would
chase a wild beast from near the cabin of nights and tree it and one of
the boys would get up soon after daybreak and go see what the dogs had treed.
One morning just before daylight the dogs darted at a wild beast that had
ventured out of the cane break into the door yard and after chasing it hotly
for 100 yards they rushed it up a tree and barked more vigorous than common.
Sam was the first one up that morning and as soon as it was light enough
to leave the cabin he went across a small clearing that was planted in corn,
and just over the fence on the outside at the back side of this clearing
the dogs were treed. When Sam reached the tree the dogs were barking up
he saw a large fierce looking animal lying on a limb just out of reach of
the dogs. The ferocious creature threatened to leap on him which terrified
Sam and he stepped backward to get from under the tree and as he did so
he yelled out with all his might, "Oh, Daddy, come here," which
he repeated a few times before his parents understood what he was yelling
out so about. Then Mr. Magness, knowing that Sam was not hallooing for foolishing
and jerking on his sox and breeches and not taking time to put on his moccasins
and snatching the rifle gun from the rack, he ran through the patch of corn
and on reaching the tree he was horrified to discover that it was a panther
just in the act of springing on Sam. The huge animal was lashing its tail
and was placing its forefeet to make the leap when Magness took quick aim
at the panthers head and fired and the beast dropped to the ground
dead.